Design Considerations for Embankment Protection During Road Overtopping Events

Status: Complete
Report Date: 06/26/2017

Summary:

Roadways in Minnesota's Red River watershed are prone to flooding and overtopping, where wide flows of water wash across the surface of the roadway. Repairing the resulting damage to roadway embankments can be costly and time-consuming, requiring lengthy road closures. Protecting roads from destructive scour could significantly reduce the cost and time of repairs after a flood event. Researchers investigated three "soft" design methods using full-scale models and field monitoring, with flexible geogrid mat providing the best erosion protection. Regardless of protection technique, any physical separation from the soil beneath led to failure by creating a pathway for water to follow. Establishing root growth and vegetation would improve the performance of all techniques by anchoring the soil.

Project Personnel:

Principal Investigator: Jeff Marr
Technical Liaison: John Anderson
Project Coordinator: Debra Fick
Panel Members:
    Aaron Buesing - US Army Corps of Engineers
    Andrea Hendrickson - Bridges
    Dwayne Stenlund - College of Food, Agriculture and Natural Resource Sciences
    Graig Gilbertson - District 4
    Joel Toso - Wenck and Associates
    Lon Aune - Marshall County Highway Dept
    Lori Belz - Environmental Stewardship